α′ formation kinetics and radiation induced segregation in neutron irradiated 14YWT nanostructured ferritic alloys

Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-44508-5

Nanostructured ferritic alloys are considered as candidates for structural components in advanced nuclear reactors due to a high density of nano-oxides (NOs) and ultrafne grain sizes. However, bimodal grain size distribution results in inhomogeneous NO distribution, or vice versa. Here, we report that density of NOs in small grains (<0.5µm) is high while there are almost no NOs inside the large grains (>2µm) before and after irradiation. After 6dpa neutron irradiation at 385–430°C, α′ precipitation has been observed in these alloys; however, their size and number densities vary considerably in small and large grains. In this study, we have investigated the precipitation kinetics of α′ particles based on the sink density, using both transmission electron microscopy and kinetic Monte Carlo simulations. It has been found that in the presence of a low sink density, α′ particles form and grow faster due to the existence of a larger defect density in the matrix. On the other hand, while α′ particles form far away from the sink interface when the sink size is small, Cr starts to segregate at the sink interface with the increase in the sink size. Additionally, grain boundary characteristics are found to determine the radiation-induced segregation of Cr.